On FOS now - Day 1 Impressions

I bought the Internet pkg, which was $140 (10% discount on Platinum handout in my cabin, but no place to put the code when buying the package online...guess I have to join the persistent long line at the Pursar's Desk). So far -- cabin is clean, and my pursar is good. I have a little different perspective than the usual cruisers. I've cruised with my family frequently in the past on several different cruise lines, but this time I'm taking my first solo. Am turning Emerald with RCL this cruise.

Arrived at the port around 12, and by the time I had dropped off luggage and parked (very easy to just follow the signs, and plenty of parking), and checked in, it was 1:00. We waited for the doors to the cabins to be opened, I dropped off my bag and went to Windjammer for lunch. I had no problem finding a table at 1:30. The muster drill was outside. They told me they move it inside in bad weather. It was definitely uncomfortable, and probably the only time when I've encountered rude people trying to push ahead of others to get inside after the drill. (I'm actually surprised nobody keeled over from being outside in the heat...and when the Captain started a welcome aboard speech, I think we were all ready to mutiny. His speeches are long...although it was funny when he asked passengers not to feed the gulls so they don't crap on the ship.)

I tried eating in the dining room last night, and was disappointed. I was told that they no longer have tables for people who want to eat with others, so they put me at a table near another couple who had asked to eat with others "so we could talk to each other." The waiter ignored my request for coffee. I was never asked if I wanted wine with dinner. As a solo cruiser, I might as well stick with Windjammer.

People were just walking up to the MyTime desks, and being seated quickly. When I first walked up, they had 3 desks seating people. When I left, only one was open and the line was a little longer but it didn't appear anyone waited too long.

Ship felt crowded first day, but today it's been fine. No problem getting an elevator, and I enjoyed the solarium. Around 2:00 I looked around, and found that there were about six people sleeping on the lounge chairs in the solarium near me with their books propped open. Just call us the pod people LOL. I did notice that there were towels left on some lounge chairs in the Solarium for about 2 hours. No one used those loungers, and no one removed the towels. The jacuzzi's in the Solarium were empty in the morning, when the ship was at CocoCay.

The soda machines seem to be giving the crew some problems. I've seen two of them open with people working on them.

No one is pushing booze. The Compass doesn't identify a drink of the day (there's a note that every bar can have its own daily special) and doesn't have a list of when the bars are open. No one was offering drinks in the Solarium when I was there, but the main Pool Bar was open and doing a good business. I didn't see any waiters wandering around and offering drinks.

The Karaoke studio has a sign that it isn't in working order.

I put $100 into a few 1 cent and 25 cent slot machines. The money was gone in about less than 10 minutes, and I never won more a spin or two. I'm done with the casino for the week.

No Meet N Mingle invitation yet - not sure what day it's scheduled.

A bottle of wine was delivered to my cabin. It was waiting for me in melted ice, with 2 wine glasses. I put it in the mini-fridge for later in the week. The mini-fridge is cool, but not really cold. The wine glasses were removed this morning. I probably should have tucked a wine glass into the mini fridge with the wine, but I didn't expect them to be removed. I can always use one of the 2 water glasses in the bathroom. I also rec'd a flower arrangment (tiny but nice), and some edibles (brownies are spectacular but there's so much food they seem unnecessary. Chocolate covered strawberries were nice.) \

Smal bars of soap are provided in the bathroom. The tv selections are awful, but I was prepared for that and brought DVDs for my laptop.

The WI-FI connection has been very, very slow and it has stopped working a few times. I tried checking work emails at 5:00 am, and didn't find that it was any faster at that hour.

Bed is extremely comfortable (love the foam) and 4 pillows. A/C in the ship is fine. I did bring a sweater, which I can see using at night.

They showed a movie this afternoon by the main pool on the big screen. People seemed to be enjoying it, although I have to say I thought it was too hard to see the screen in the sunlight.

I won't be doing any excursions and will skip the shows and night-life. I haven't spotted other solos, but it's not like we wear a sign around our necks LOL. There's an informal adult singles gathering at the SkyBar at 5:30, and a social event for 18-20 yr olds. The 18-20 yr old social events are a great option. They didn't have them when my kids aged out of the teen program, and it's a great idea.

Love the cabin door decorations. I see family reunion door tags, Anniversaries and my favorite is a cool custom "Father of the Bride" decoration on a nearby cabin door.

Only the first day of the cruise, but people do seem to be having a really good time. I overheard some kids raving about the water slide and activities at CocoCay.

If your cruise met the minimum of 25 for the meet and mingle then you should've received the invitation when you arrived in your cabin. It is usually the first sea day around 10 or 1030 and usually in the Viking Crown lounge.

If the minimum 25 quota wasn't met there will not be an official meet and mingle.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks for taking time to post! We will be on Freedom again in November. :) I sure hope they fix the Karaoke studios by then!...

Look forward to your comments. We will be onboard in 180 days.

We supposedly had enough people registered for a Meet N Mingle. Could be that my invitation was lost :-(.

Windjammer was fine for dinner. They had a large assortment of options including the duck breast and lobster bisque, even if they didn't have everything that might have been available in the main dining room. Chops didn't appear to be full on my way into the Windjammer around 6:45. Only one side of Windjammer was open, and it was very quiet. There was a small table set up with someone selling glasses of wine, and another table for someone serving hard ice cream (vanilla and chocolate, with some toppings).

People are dressed in everything from nice sundresses to glittery gowns for 1st formal night. I saw a few suits, but no tuxes. Brings back great memories of family cruises and getting wonderful family portraits on formal nights.

Checked the RCL M&M site - they have removed all sail dates prior to June 29th so I can't check on your sailing. Looks like it is on the first full day at 10am in Olive or Twist (so it might have been this morning).

We are on the July 5 sailing with my 18 year old daughter. All 3 of my kids love the kids club, but this time she won't be able to participate. Thanks for letting me know about the 18-20 year old meeting. She will definitely try to make that.

I saw that there are several people in this age group with us through the roll call postings. And I tried to set up a quick meeting after the muster drill. Hopefully, a few will show up and they can build the group from there!

Open the cabinet door where your fridge is...it really helps it cool, if it gets airflow!

Following along.

Wow – love sleeping on a ship! There’s a very mild rocking that I don’t think is enough to trigger sea sickness in anyone. To me, FOS is a perfect size. You know you’re on a cruise ship, but there are lots of big-ship amenities and countless things to do.

Went to the Pursar’s desk to get my Platinum credit (15%, not 10%) for the Internet purchase. They asked how I was enjoying myself. I responded that everything was great, but I had been a little disappointed in my first solo experience in the dining room. Wow – they jumped all over it. If I had told them which waiter didn’t offer me coffee, I think he would have been thrown overboard. Later that evening I received a call from the dining room, promising I’d get better care in the future. Got two more calls “investigating my complaint” yesterday, from bar service and the MyTime dining desk. Lesson learned - when they ask if everything is great, do NOT mention small stuff!

Talked with the art auctioneer for awhile, and told him about the Brian David Bruns books. He didn’t know someone wrote books about working for the cruise lines (RCL and Carnival) as a waiter and then later as an art auctioneer. First auction was pretty quiet - bad timing to have the first auction at lunch time!

I went to the shopping talk too, which I usually do (it’s a cruise tradition). I thought the Shopping Guy gave a good overview with some decent tips for people who may not have visited the islands before. He had a big crowd, and there were lots of women waiting for the doors to open to get to the first few rows so they might win something. He actually gave some good details about gem and watch buying that I’ve only heard on cruises a few times before. I noted that there are fewer recommended stores than there were a few years ago. It’s still $4 for the shuttles/taxis to downtown St. Thomas… I’m surprised it hasn’t gone up in all the years we’ve cruised. He didn’t mention Havenstock at all.

Dinner at the Windjammer was even quieter than it was on the first formal night. Very relaxing.

There are a few workers with visibly short fuses here and there. (A few of us heard one of the girls helping with the shopping desk yell at an old lady who peeked in an open side door of the theatre that being near that door was a security issue and the woman should know better if she’s cruised before. Sheesh. I've also seen a few staff members arguing quietly, but it's been rare). The majority of staff appear to be genuinely friendly and not overly stressed out. I've seen the Captain walking around the ship, and staff members have waved to him. Seems like a happy, well run vessel.

Someone had posted a picture of the library, and I can confirm that it has lots of empty shelves and very few books. I guess everyone brings a Kindle or Nook these days.

Kids and teens have been a pleasure - I haven't spotted hot tubs full of children, elevators taken over, or any of the complaints that have come up from time to time. The cruisers I've encountered have all been very polite. It's been interesting how few people raise their hands that it's their first cruise at events like the art auction and the sales talk. Lots of repeat RCL cruisers!

I do think there's less push on alcohol than on prior cruises, and the bars seem to be open fewer hours during the daytime. It's available, but it's not like there's a bar waiter offering you drinks every 15 minutes.

Still enjoying a very restful trip! Got a call last night from someone at guest services offering to have coffee with me since they noticed I was traveling alone. Nice gesture.

Thank you for your insight on this cruise. I am happily following along. I am traveling with my teenage daughter, which in essence means that if she finds other teens, I will also be traveling solo!

Open the cabinet door where your fridge is...it really helps it cool, if it gets airflow!

Great tip! I will definitely try this on our next cruise.

Went to the Pursar’s desk to get my Platinum credit (15%, not 10%) for the Internet purchase. They asked how I was enjoying myself. I responded that everything was great, but I had been a little disappointed in my first solo experience in the dining room. Wow – they jumped all over it. If I had told them which waiter didn’t offer me coffee, I think he would have been thrown overboard. Later that evening I received a call from the dining room, promising I’d get better care in the future. Got two more calls “investigating my complaint” yesterday, from bar service and the MyTime dining desk. Lesson learned - when they ask if everything is great, do NOT mention small stuff!

 

I think it's GREAT that you mentioned it. Especially on the first day. Do you plan on giving the dining room another chance to see if it's any better? I had a similar experience back in 2009. First night they never offered coffee or tea to our side of the table. It's like they went half way around and then stopped. I know first nights can be a little crazy, but when we were leaving and the maitre d asked us how dinner was. I was really nice about it, but told him we were a little disappointed. The remainder of the cruise our dining room service was exceptional, they couldn't do enough for us.

Enjoy your cruise. Freedom is one of our favorites and we can't wait to sail again in September.

Wow – love sleeping on a ship! There’s a very mild rocking that I don’t think is enough to trigger sea sickness in anyone. To me, FOS is a perfect size. You know you’re on a cruise ship, but there are lots of big-ship amenities and countless things to do.

 

Went to the Pursar’s desk to get my Platinum credit (15%, not 10%) for the Internet purchase. They asked how I was enjoying myself. I responded that everything was great, but I had been a little disappointed in my first solo experience in the dining room. Wow – they jumped all over it. If I had told them which waiter didn’t offer me coffee, I think he would have been thrown overboard. Later that evening I received a call from the dining room, promising I’d get better care in the future. Got two more calls “investigating my complaint” yesterday, from bar service and the MyTime dining desk. Lesson learned - when they ask if everything is great, do NOT mention small stuff!

 

I do believe that Freedom class is the perfect size -- we have been on Liberty and Indy, Freedom's sister ships and LOVED them.

Yes, sleeping on ships is terrific...the soft movement of the ship makes (for me at least) a wonderful nights sleep. It reminds me of how easily babies fall asleep in a moving car.

You were totally right in bringing up what was not to your satisfaction....and it is good that they worked to make it better. Mentioning the small stuff and the big stuff (which hopefully is RARE) is always important.

Forgetting aft & port, my cabin is on the left side (side with the Pursar’s desk). I had a wonderful view across the bay at St. Thomas today. The excursion boats passed by on their way back to the ship. Some of them were playing party-music, and most of them set up a cheer & waved as they passed FOS. It was very festive.

I just walked around the Havensight mall right outside the dock. I was happy to find a Medicine Shoppe is still in the mall. It’s handy if you need that sun tan lotion (or bottle of aspirin from all the partying on board) and don’t want to pay shipboard prices. There were some closed up storefronts compared to my last visit to St. Thomas.

FOS’ hot tubs were full today when we were in port – I guess the frequent cruisers take advantage of the port day to enjoy them.

They're now selling some certified used Rolex's onboard! That was a surprise to me.

The booking office for future cruises is now on the Promenade. There are usually 3 people working in there, and they have been full every time I’ve walked past.

Today I discovered the peace and quiet of the 4th Deck (under the lifeboats). It’s has some deeper shade from the the lifeboats, and there are only about 15 lounge chairs set up. Very peaceful place to read out of the sun, and to listen to the ocean. Crew seems to use it as a shortcut, but there were only 1 or 2 other passengers enjoying it.

I stuck my head in the 6:45 show (magician from America’s Got Talent), and the theatre was only about ½ full. Looked like a good show though if you like magicians!

I’ve gotten towel animals every night. Cute mouse tonight, which is a new one for me.

Turned on my cell phone in St. Thomas to take advantage of a few hours back in the “U.S.”, and got caught up on emails. The internet has been frustrating since it’s so slow.

Hard to believe we’ve passed the half way mark. It’s been a very restful vacation! I still haven't gotten a single frozen drink or pina colada though, and I'm running out of time!

I won't be doing any excursions and will skip the shows and night-life.

.

So what do you do all day and night?

Enjoying your review. Thanks for taking the time.

I'm on FoS in Aug. Last time I was at Coco Cay they had a few parasols at the far end of what I think was Barefoot beach. The clam shells weren't there at the time. Did you notice if they still had them or are there only the clam shells for shade now? thx

Sounds like you are having a very relaxing cruise.

I know you mentioned that the Windjammer isn't serving the full dining room menu at night. Are they at least somewhat close? We are considering just doing Windjammer during our FOS cruise next year. Right now we're MTD, but I don't want to pack "nice" clothes for the dining room. Would rather stick with casual shirts, shorts and shorty pants (my euphemism for capris) for the trip.

I'm not surprised to hear about the library. When we sailed on Adventure and Jewel in 2011 the library was pretty much picked clean by the end of the first sea day. Since I had forgotten the bag that held all my books for the Adventure cruise, my boss bought me a Kindle for my birthday. I only used it during the Jewel cruise and I'm hooked on it now. So much easier to use when traveling or commuting.

Sounds like you are having a very relaxing cruise.

 

I know you mentioned that the Windjammer isn't serving the full dining room menu at night. Are they at least somewhat close? We are considering just doing Windjammer during our FOS cruise next year. Right now we're MTD, but I don't want to pack "nice" clothes for the dining room. Would rather stick with casual shirts, shorts and shorty pants (my euphemism for capris) for the trip.

 

I'm not surprised to hear about the library. When we sailed on Adventure and Jewel in 2011 the library was pretty much picked clean by the end of the first sea day. Since I had forgotten the bag that held all my books for the Adventure cruise, my boss bought me a Kindle for my birthday. I only used it during the Jewel cruise and I'm hooked on it now. So much easier to use when traveling or commuting.

I wear "shorty pants" to the MDR all the time. I'm going to have to steal that euphemism. :)

Your trip sounds lovely. Hope you enjoy the rest. Try the dinning room again. It's nice to sit and be served. It must be very different going solo after being with family. I hope you enjoy [emoji267]

There's a great review of Freedom Eastern Itinerary being posted now by BobMacLiberty, which may be more useful to most people since it covers a lot more experiences. Just a few additional notes though:

Badatz: Reading, people watching, resting. If I had stayed home or gone to a resort I might have saved money but I’d end up working. Being off the grid on a cruise guarantees a vacation. Also -- Our family has tried most of the excursions over the years and saw more cruise shows, Karaoke, etc. than I can remember. That just doesn't appeal to me much anymore.

Weejasser: I didn’t look around much on CocoCay, but I didn’t notice any clamshells.

Teeara: Windjammer at dinner has at least 3 of the entrees and 2-3 choices of appetizers. They don’t have things like escargot or prime rib – it’s more the chicken, fish and pasta options. It seems like a lot of choices when it’s all laid out. Capris are fine in the dining rooms except perhaps on the formal nights, so you can keep your options open. (A waiter in the Windjammer told me that their busiest nights are the nights in St. Thomas and St. Maarten, when passengers return to the ship and don’t want to bother changing). One thing I've noticed is that RCL no longer is offering blue cheese salad dressing in the Windjammer. I don't know if it's available in the dining room for salads.

The tradeoff for being on the side of the ship that had a wonderful view from my balcony in St. Thomas was that today I was on the side of the ship facing a container ship terminal in St. Maarten. They were loading containers all day. Not a big deal.

St. Maarten always seems extra hot, for some reason. I visited the stores at the pier (man, that’s a looooong concrete pier in the sun, and the shuttle tram wasn’t running) and bought some gifts. Just like St. Thomas, the stores at the end of the pier were almost empty in the late morning. A saleswoman told me that it was because we were the only ship in port again, and they wouldn’t see much business until people return from excursions later in the afternoon. The salesmen in Majesty at the end of the pier (a “recommended” RCL store) were unpleasantly aggressive the entire time I was in their store. Salespeople in the Caribbean do follow you around and try to sell, but these guys just would NOT take no for an answer. (Little Switzerland offers a nicer shopping experience with better prices IMO.)

Funny to see the long lines of people getting their Starbucks fixes at the Promenade café all day. The Promenade Café is open 24 hrs a day, and has some nice deserts along with the little sandwiches.

The cupcake bakery on the Promenade doesn’t have a huge selection, unlike Allure. It seems a little like an afterthought on FOS, and I haven't seen many people in there. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it turned into something else eventually.

Cool & breezy tonight. Lots of teens playing basketball, and quite a few families on the mini-golf course after dinner. It was so windy up there that I was surprised the balls don't get blown overboard - but it felt terrific after the heat of the afternoon. The lounges are busy tonight, and it sure looks like everyone is having a great time -- only 2 more days :-(.

The cruise director has hinted at some special events for the 4th of July. We’ll see!

I did stop in at the Next Cruise booking office. They’ve been leaving ads on the bed each day…what can I say? I passed by today, and the office was empty for the first time…so I went in and booked a cruise in 2017 at the 150% sale price :-). There's a price guarantee, so if prices drop I can take advantage of the reduction.

What nights were formal nights?

The cupcake bakery on the Promenade doesn’t have a huge selection, unlike Allure. It seems a little like an afterthought on FOS, and I haven't seen many people in there. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it turned into something else eventually.

I was surprised it didn't disappear after the last dry dock as I always thought it was empty too.

It sounds like you are enjoying yourself. One day I would love to be on a cruise by myself. Someday....................................

Formal nights - Nights 2 and 6 (tonight). Tonight is also the Platinum-Emerald-Diamond-Diamond Plus & Pinnacle reception in the Star Lounge at 4:45.